Overview
Program of Study
Montclair State University (MSU) offers a Ph.D. in Environmental Management. This Ph.D. program seeks to foster an emerging interdisciplinary approach to the study of the environment and humankind's impact on natural resources. The program emphasizes investigations of the mechanisms and interconnections found within and among components of environmental systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere) and with associated human systems (political, legal, social, economic). The program offers extensive field and laboratory work, allowing students exposure to cutting-edge environmental research, environmental management issues, and access to state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation and computer-assisted technology. Graduates of the program will be fully prepared to enter postdoctoral research in the discipline, academic institutions, government agencies, profit or not-for-profit organizations, private sector firms, and other organizations that deal with environment, sustainability, and restoration issues.
The specific objectives of the Ph. D. program include a primary emphasis on research that addresses environmental issues that impact sustainability and future management; preparing environmental professionals who will recognize and analyze the relationships among the scientific, technological, societal, and economic issues that shape environmental research and decision making; developing research professionals who will lead within academia, industry and government institutions; and preparing scientists to continue with creative scientific discoveries that will lead to approaches geared towards sustainable management of our environment.
Research in the Ph.D. program is centered on three separate yet interlocking research themes. Graduate students trained through the program will focus on the intersections of these themes: water-land systems; sustainability, vulnerability, and equity; and modeling and visualization.
The water-land systems approach considers the interactions of fluvial, estuarine, marine, groundwater, and wetland systems with patterns of human settlement and industry. The highly urbanized northeastern region of New Jersey, while compact geographically, is part of a complex coastal environment in which such interactions can be readily observed. Since the region has a long history of coastal industrial activity, land- and water-use impacts over time can be readily studied. MSU is situated in the heart of the region; consequently, students can use its prime location to conveniently conduct doctoral research projects and training exercises.
The theme of sustainability, vulnerability, and equity focuses on both the conceptual and operational aspects of these emerging areas of study within the context of urban environmental management. These concepts have become critical for understanding urban environmental management. A primary objective of the doctoral program's research mission is to more formally integrate these theoretical advancements into urban environmental change and management theory and practice. The themes of sustainability, vulnerability, and equity constitute an interdisciplinary approach to urban environmental management that is based on the study of organizations and institutions. Research approaches within this component of the program are as follows: analysis of natural systems for the construction of indicators and establishing models for monitoring urban systems (e.g. water supply, material use, and waste systems) and associated environmental improvement or degradation; research into existing conditions and opportunities for enhancing the conditions of sustainability and equity, as well as vulnerability reduction in organizations and institutions (e.g. business, education, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations); and research into the dynamics of public policy and environmental sustainability, vulnerability, and equity.
The modeling and visualization focus utilizes state-of-the-art computer-assisted techniques and methods to study the process of environmental change. Modeling and visualization have become critical tools for environmental managers in advancing their understanding of how the major elements of the complex physical and human environment interact, particularly with respect to the urban environment. More sophisticated data gathering and processing devices and updated software packages are the cutting-edge research tools for the environmental analysis and modeling community. This component of the doctoral program facilitates the integration of these new techniques and methods into the analysis of urban environmental issues. Research modeling and visualization themes include linking environmental models to remote sensing and GIS for application to landscape dynamics; marine sediment and associated contaminant transport and chemodynamic modeling; global and regional climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, and the global biogeochemical cycles of greenhouse gases; and integration of modeling with other technologies, such as optical sensors and data acquisition electronics.
Research Facilities
The departments participating in the Ph.D. program have over fifty laboratories outfitted for environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, geosciences, geochemistry, GIS, hydrology, ecology, microbiology, molecular ecology and biology, marine and aquatic biology, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and biochemistry. Specialized facilities include two greenhouses, laboratories for research in environmental geochemistry and mineralogy (ICP-MS, ICP-OES, HPLC, LC/MS/MS, GC/MS, XRD, SEM, TEM, FIAS, IC, etc.), environmental geophysics, soil stratigraphy, and specialized equipment for environmental analysis--soil, air, plant, and water. Field testing equipment includes ground-penetrating radar, current and tide gauges, and hand-held Global Positioning System units. A state-of-the-art Xserve cluster supports environmental modeling applications, including global and regional climate modeling. MSU's libraries maintain academic resources that include books, journals, videos, scholarly publications, and electronic databases. These provide the most up-to-date information available on any subject. The widest research facility of all--the state of New Jersey--is fertile ground for environmental studies. The state contains all manner of habitats: shoreline, wetlands, urban and suburban development, farmland, and mountain regions. Montclair State maintains professional and academic relationships with dozens of local and state organizations, providing numerous opportunities for doctoral research in a diverse and plentiful number of applications.
Financial Aid
Student loans are the primary source of financial aid for graduate students. A limited number of graduate assistantships, which currently offer a $15,000 stipend for the ten-month academic year and include a full tuition waiver, are available on a competitive basis to full-time Ph.D. students. Applications for assistantships are included in the application packet.
Cost of Study
Doctoral tuition and fees for in-state residents are $600.15 per credit. Out-of-state tuition is $793.25 per credit.
Living and Housing Costs
At Montclair State University, graduate students have several housing options, ranging from traditional and suite-style residence halls to apartment communities. A shuttle bus that connects apartment housing with the main campus is available. Residence hall rooms cost anywhere from $4000 to $4500 per semester. Meal plans are available in flexible package and cost options, depending on individual need.
Student Group
Montclair State University enrolls approximately 17,000 students. The Ph.D. program has close to 30 students. More than 90 percent of the full-time doctoral students receive financial support.
Location
Montclair State University provides an outstanding learning environment. The University's easy access to New York City makes it a great place in which to study. The campus is near local bus and train service, major train transportation, and international airports. MSU's location offers diverse cultural experiences, restaurants, shopping, recreation, and entertainment.
The University
Founded in 1908, Montclair State University was originally established for teacher training. In the 1930s, Montclair began offering master's degree programs and became accredited as a teachers' college--one of the first in the nation. The University now offers 250 undergraduate majors, minors, and concentrations; forty-seven master's and doctoral degrees; forty-seven certificate and certification programs; and numerous interdisciplinary programs through four colleges and one school. Montclair State University's easy access to New York City, as well as the New Jersey mountains and shoreline, makes it ideal for the study of environmental disciplines.
Applying
Students wishing to be considered as doctoral candidates must complete an application, which can be found online at http://www.montclair.edu/graduate/pdf/doctoralapplication.pdf. Applicants to this program must complete a self-managed application, submitting the following in one packet: a personal essay describing their areas of potential research interest and the relevance of doctoral study to their scholarly development, official transcripts, GRE scores, TOEFL or IELTS scores (if necessary), three letters of reference, and an application fee of $60. The deadline for receipt of all application materials, including applications for assistantships, is February 15 for fall admission and October 15 for spring admission.
Correspondence and Information
Dibyendu Sarkar, Professor and Director of the Ph.D. in Environmental Management
Patti Flatley, Administrative Assistant
College of Science and Mathematics
Mallory Hall 116
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey 07043
Phone: 973-655-5423
Fax: 973-655-6810
E-mail: mcnicholasp@mail.montclair.edu
Web site: http://www.csam.montclair.edu/environ
The Faculty and Their Research
Paul A. X. Bologna, Associate Professor; Ph.D., South Alabama. Marine ecology, aquatic vegetation.
Stefanie A. Brachfeld, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Minnesota. Marine geophysics, paleoclimatology, polar regions.
Mark J. Chopping, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Nottingham. Remote sensing, GIS.
Huan Feng, Associate Professor; Ph.D., SUNY at Stony Brook. Estuarine and coastal environmental quality assessment and management.
Josh Galster, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Lehigh. Earth and environmental studies, hydrology, GIS, geomorphology.
Matthew Gorring, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Cornell. Igneous petrology, geochronology, radiogenic isotope, geochemistry, tectonics.
Scott L. Kight, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Indiana. Evolutionary biology, entomology, ecology, animal behavior.
Michael A. Kruge, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley. Geochemistry of organic contaminants in sediments.
Lee Lee, Professor; Ph.D., CUNY. Microbiology.
George T. Martin, Professor; Ph.D., Chicago. Social impacts of the automobile, globalization and consumption.
Duke U. Ophori, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Alberta. Hydrogeology, groundwater flow modeling in fractured reservoirs, nuclear-waste disposal.
Sandra Passchier, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State. Earth and environmental studies, sedimentary geology with a focus on Antarctica, glacial stratigraphy.
Gregory A. Pope, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Arizona State. Geomorphology, physical geography, GIS applications in physical geography, human impacts on the environment, global change, geoarchaeology.
Robert S. Prezant, Professor and Dean, College of Science and Mathematics; Ph.D., Delaware. Aquatic ecology, biodiversity, malacology.
Stefan A. Robila, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Syracuse. Remote sensing.
Dibyendu Sarkar, Professor and Director of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Management; Ph.D., Tennessee, Knoxville. Low-T geochemistry, aqueous and surface chemical modeling, environmental quality and remediation.
Harbans Singh, Professor; Ph.D., Rutgers. Environmental policy and problem solving.
John Smallwood, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State. Ecology and kestrel ecology, effect of land use on bird migration and nesting.
Nicholas Smith-Sebasto, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Ohio State. Earth and environmental studies, education for sustainability, in-vessel food and organics aerobic composting.
Eric Stern, Research Associate Professor; Earth and Environmental Studies and Regional Contaminated Sediment Program Manager.
Rolf Sternberg, Professor; Ph.D., Syracuse. Geography, geopolitics, urban geography, transportation geography and world resources.
Robert W. Taylor, Professor; Ph.D., Saint Louis. Environmental public policy, regional planning and urban development, urban environmental issues, environmental communications, environmental business policy.
Dirk W. Vanderklein, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Minnesota. Tree physiological ecology, forestry and forest ecology.
Neeraj Vedwan, Assistant Professorr; Ph.D., Georgia. Impact of climate change on agriculture.
Quinn Vega, Associate Professor and Chair; Ph.D., California, San Diego. Biology and molecular biology, mammalian signal transduction.
Danlin Yu, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin--Milwaukee. GIS and urban studies.
